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NFL Week 3 odds: Highest bet game at BetMGM is 49ers-Giants; team getting most bets is ... Panthers?

With all the fantastic matchups on the NFL schedule for Week 3, the early betting at BetMGM is surprising to say the least.

The game getting the most bets for Week 3 isn’t the Kansas City Chiefs-Baltimore Ravens clash of the titans or even the exciting game between the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks. The game that has taken the most action in terms of ticket count is San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Giants, two teams that have an injury report that reads like a novel.

And the team that has gotten the most bets so far this week? That would be the 0-2 Carolina Panthers, who lost star running back Christian McCaffrey to an ankle injury. The only six-figure bet to this point is $110,000 to win $91,663 on the Atlanta Falcons at -3.5, one week after Atlanta had a historic collapse and lost at the Dallas Cowboys.

Week 3 might get a little weird.

Which Week 3 NFL game is most popular among bettors?

According to BetMGM’s reports, Chiefs-Ravens isn’t even a top-five bet game. That’s likely because it’s a Monday night game and the action will come in later, but the top five isn’t what you’d expect:

1. 49ers-Giants
2. Bengals-Eagles
3. Raiders-Patriots
4. Texans-Steelers
5. Cowboys-Seahawks

The 49ers will be without quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, defensive linemen Dee Ford, Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas, running backs Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman, tight end George Kittle, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and cornerback Richard Sherman. The Giants’ injury report isn’t that long, but running back Saquon Barkley is done for the season and receiver Sterling Shepard is hurt too.

Apparently bettors have conviction on which team will adjust better to its injuries.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) leads his team into a Week 3 game against the Chargers. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) leads his team into a Week 3 game against the Chargers. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

Panthers are getting a lot of action

The Giants are getting more bets in that 49ers-Giants matchup. New York has taken the fifth-most money of any team this week at BetMGM.

The team bettors like most as of Friday is an unexpected one. The Panthers, whose defense is one of the NFL’s worst and just lost perhaps the best non-quarterback in the NFL in McCaffrey, are a favorite of bettors. The Panthers are 6.5-point favorites at the Los Angeles Chargers, who will have quarterback Justin Herbert making his second career start.

In terms of total bets, the Panthers are the top team at BetMGM this week. They’re third in amount of money bet on them. The Los Angeles Rams, who are 2-point underdogs at the Buffalo Bills, have the most money bet on them so far. Second is the Denver Broncos, who have a ton of injuries of their own including quarterback Drew Lock. The Broncos are 5.5-point underdogs at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

There’s plenty of time for bets to come in on Week 3 NFL games, and the Ravens-Chiefs game will draw a lot of late interest. But at this point, 49ers-Giants will get the most attention from bettors, and then they’ll shift their rooting interest to the Panthers for the afternoon. That’s unexpected.

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